Butter package



- 'A. s. HEINEMAN BUTTER PACKAGE April 2 1, 1936.

Filed Dec. 22, 1933 l i l I l l I Z! Arf/zurSI/z'ez'neman Attorney 5 Patented Apr. 21, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BUTTER PACKAGE Arthur S. Heineman, Los Angeles, Calif. Application December 22, 1933, Serial No. 703,561 11 Claims. (Cl. 206-56) This invention relates to a butter package, and particularly concerns the packaging of butter for service in restaurants or households.

In preparing butter for individual service, a

5 quarter-pound block of butter is usually cut into thick slices or pats, and these are usually placed in an iced bowl, sometimes lying in contact with each other, and sometimes with small pieces of parafline paper between them. When a butter 19 pat is to be served from the bowl, it may be picked up by the fingers of the waitress or waiter, which is unsanitary, or it may be picked up with a knife or a small fork. In the latter case, the pat or slice is frequently broken because of its 15 hardness and brittleness occasioned by its iced condition. y

The general object of this invention is to provide a butter package which is particularly adapted for individual service, and having a wrapper 20 enabling the butter to be readily handled without necessitating it being touched by ones fingers.

A further object of the invention is to provide the individual service package with a wrapper 25 having features which enable it to facilitate the handling of the butter package, and also facilitate the picking up and the stripping of the wrapper from the butter pat without necessitating the touching of the pat with the fingers, or with 30 any instrument such as a knife or fork.

A butter package formed in accordance with my invention, is characterized by the fact that the wrapper adheres to the faces of the butter pat. Under some conditions, there is a tendency 35 for the wrapper to crinkle or separate itself from the face of the pat. Furthermore, such a wrapper may have a tendency to interfere with the quick refrigeration of the butter when placed in a cooling chamber. One of the objects of my 40 invention is to construct the wrapper in such a way as to insure that it will adhere throughout to the face of the pat, and also so that portions of the faces of the butter pat are left exposedso that these exposed portions of the pat will facili- 45 tate the refrigerating process.

A further object of the invention is to produce a multiple service'package for butter, which will enable a number of individual service packages to be held together compactly for handling the 50 same in and out of the refrigerator, and in this multiple service package, my invention enables the individual packages to be readily removed for use in a sanitary manner and without necessitating touching any of the individual packages 55 which are left in the multiple package. It is also an object of my invention as regards the multiple package, to provide a package having features which will facilitate the quick refrigeration of the multiple package.

In practicing the invention, I may employ perforations or slits in the wrapper to prevent the tendency of the wrapper to crinkle on the sides of the butter pat; and one of the objects of my invention is to place these perforations or slits in such a way that when the individual packages are packed into a multiple package, the perforations in adjacent wrappers cannot register with each other. In this way, it is assured that the faces of two adjacent pats cannot touch each other.

A further object of the invention is to provide an individual service package in which all of the faces of the pat can be completely covered by the wrapper; at the same time, providing a wrapper which can be readily stripped from the pat within it.

A further object of the invention is to provide a neat and compact package for holding a larger quantity of butter, in which the same can be sold and handled in and out of the refrigerating chamber.

Further objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel parts and combination of parts to be described hereinafter, all of which contribute to produce an eflicient butter package.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is described in the following specification, while the broad scope of the invention is pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is. a perspective of an individual service package embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a perspective illustrating a multiple 40 service butter package embodying my invention.

Figure 3 is a perspective illustrating how my individual packages can be packed into a carton or container of common form, and in such a way as to facilitate their ready removal without touching the butter with ones fingers, or with a knife or fork.

Figure 4 is a perspective illustrating how my wrapper facilitates its being stripped from the butter pat.

Figure 5 is a perspective illustrating another embodiment of my individual butter package, in which both side faces and all of the edges of the .pat are covered by the wrapper. This View i1- lustrates one of the flaps of the wrapper as pulled away from the pat so as to more completely illustrate the construction. This view also illustrates the use of perforations or slits in the wrapper.

Figure 6 is a plan view of a wrapper blank from which the package illustrated in Fig. 5, can readily be formed.

Figure 7 is a horizontal section through the end of a package such as illustrated in Fig. 3, and illustrating how the perforations of the wrapper are arranged so that two adjacent butter pats cannot touch each other.

Figure 8 is a perspective of a multiple package partly open, with certain parts broken away and shown in cross section, to illustrate more fully the details of this package.

In practicing the invention, the butter should be sliced into pats at a temperature which will enable the butter to slice readily without breaking. This temperature is well known to persons handling butter. The individual service package illustrated in Fig. 1, may be formed by hand, but is preferably formed by machinery. This package consists of a butter pat? and an enfolding wrapper 3. This wrapper is preferably a single sheet, andcovers two opposite large faces 4 of the pat, and the bottom edge 5 and top edge 6. The wrapper is folded continuously onto these faces or edges, and at the upper edge 6 the wrapper has a horizontal flap I that is of considerably greater width than the edge of the pat, so that its free edge 8 projects beyond the pat. This free edge may be seized between the fingers so as to lift the package preparatory to stripping the wrapper from the pat 2. The wrapper is preferably of the same width or slightly greater width than the pat. These pats are substantially of square cross section, and may be formed by cutting a quarter-pound block of butter into slices.

Under the flap 1 and where its free edge pro jects beyond the side of the pat, the wrapper is formed with an integral projecting flange or narrow tongue 9, which lies under the projecting edge, but this tongue is narrow in width so that the free edge 8 projectsbeyond it. This facili tates the stripping of the wrapper from the package. This is accomplished after lifting the package, by seizing the projecting edge 8 between the fingers and disconnecting it from the tongue or flange 9, after which the side portions of the wrapper can be pulled in opposite directions and the package inverted as indicated in Figure 4, to enable the pat to fall out of the wrapper.

A package having the characteristics illustrated in Fig. 1, canreadily be handled without touching the butter pat with the fingers, a1- thoughit is true of course, that the vertical edges 2 of the pat are exposed. This, however, is advantageous because it facilitates quick refrigeration of the package because these edges are exposed for contact with the cold air in the refrigerating chamber.

In forming a multiple service package in accordance with my invention, this package preferably takes the form illustrated in Fig. 2, involving the use of a shallow tray l0 into which the individual service packages I are packed alongside of each other, as shown. This may be done by hand, but is preferably accomplished automatically as the individual service packages are delivered from the slicing machine. In this multiple service package illustrated in Fig. 2,

the flaps I of the individual packages, all pro-' ject in the same direction and overlie each other.

The sides of the tray II) are preferably of less height than the individual packages, so as to leave large areas of the vertical edges of the pats 2 exposed. This greatly facilitates quick refrigeration of the multiple service package when placed in a refrigerating chamber. At the same time, the fact that the flaps 1 all project in the same direction and overlie each other, enables these packages to be piled on top of each other in the refrigerating chamber without material danger to the upper edge of the pats in the lower package, coming in contact with the bottom of the tray resting upon them. It will be evident that individual service packages can be readily taken from the multiple service package by seizing the projecting flap 1 of the individual package, and lifting it out. It will be evident that this multiple service package compactly holds a considerable number of butter pats ready for individual service, and it will also be evident that it can-be very readily handled in and out of a refrigerator without the necessity of touching any of the exposed surface of the butter.

While the package illustrated in Fig. 2, is intended particularly for handling the butter for immediate service, I also illustrate in Fig. 3, an-

other package of my individual service packages i. In this case, the individual service packages are all mounted in a light carboard box H, which is preferably formed with a lid l2 and tuck 13, which forms a closure for the complete package. In this package shown in Fig. 3, the flaps 1 of the individual packages all project in the same direction. If desired, the package shown in Fig. 2, may be set in the box or container H, and this makes a convenient package to be delivered in the sale of butter, after which, by removing the tray and its contained individual service packages, the butter is then in good condition for handling in and out of the refrigerator, and onto a service table.

The wrappers employed may be of any suitable material, such as parchment or paraflined paper. The latter is preferable, as it is quite serviceable and is very inexpensive.

It should be understood that when the wrapper is applied to the pat, it is pressed against the side faces and edges of the pat, so that the wrapper adheres to the pat substantially throughout its area of contact with the pat.

Sometimes a wrapper of this kind exhibits a tendency to crinkle or buckle away from the butter. This is particularly true where the butter is subjected to changes of temperature. In order to overcome this tendency, I may provide the wrapper I4 as illustrated in Fig. 5, with a plurality of perforations or slits l5, and if it is desired to have the butter pat completely enclosed, I may provide the wrapper with integral flaps, such as the flap I6. These flaps fold against the vertical edges of the pat and adhere thereto.

In Fig. 6 I illustrate a blank [1, which is adapted to form an individual service package such as illustrated in Fig. 5. This blank is provided with two oppositely disposed extensions lGa that form the flaps IS in the complete package. The dotted lines l8 indicate the points at which the wrapper is folded in applying it to the pat.

In packing individual service packages such as illustrated in Fig. 5, together to form a multiple service pack, it is preferable to prevent the registry of the slots I 5 on adjacent packages. For this purpose I prefer to stagger the slots by forming them in two rows as illustrated in Fig.

6, and in such a way that the-slits [5a in one group, are out of' line with the slits I51) on the opposite portionof the blank. If the wrappers are formed in this way, these slits will be out of line with each other, as illustrated in Fig. 7. This, prevents any possibility of one individual service package sticking to another adjaicent package. Furthermore the presence of the slits minimizes any tendency of the wrappers to pucker or bulge away from the butter under the action of changes of temperature.

In Figure 8, I illustrate the adaptability of my individual service package for sale in pound packages. In order to accomplish this, a mass of butter is sliced, and the pats provided with enfolding wrappers to form individual service packages, such as illustrated in Fig. l. A predetermined number of these packages formed in this way, may then be wrapped in a light wrapper 19 of parchment or parafined paper, so as to form small packages 20. These packages can be laid alongside of each other in a box 2| formed of a blank that may be set up into a box. This blank has a bottom 22 with integral side walls 23, said side walls each having integral end flaps 24, which form an inner wall for the ends of the box. The bottom 22 also has an integral end flap 25 that folds up on the outside of the inner flaps 24, as illustrated in Fig. 8. The outside flaps 25 have integral panels 26 that cover half of the box. These panels 26 have end tucks 21 that tuck in across the box at its middle, and also have side tucks 28 that fold inside of the side walls 2|, so that the edges 29 of the side tucks 2B abut against the inner sides of the end flaps 24. This forms a very neat sale package for selling the individual service packages in any quantity. If desired, the individual service packages can be placed in the trays l0, illustrated in Fig. 2, or the cartons illustrated in Fig. 3, before forming them into a pound package, such as illustrated in Fig. 8. This operates to deliver multiple service packages convenient for handling in and out of the refrigerator, so that the butter is exposed above the trays edges to facilitate refrigeration, as pointed out above.

The box illustrated in Fig. 8, is of my invention, and will form the subject matter of another application for patent.

It is to be understood that the embodimentof the invention describedherein, is only'one of the many embodiments this inventionmay take, and I do not wish to be limited in the practice of the invention, nor in the claims, to the particular embodiment set forth.

What I claim is:

1. An individual service butter package, consisting of a pat of butter of substantially rectangular form having an enfolding wrapper covering the two large opposite side faces and an edge of the pat, said wrapper having an integral flap capable of extending over the entire area of the edge of the pat opposite the first-named edge, said wrapper adhering to other faces and the first-named edge of the pat, said flap having a free edge capable of projecting laterally and outwardly beyond the side of the pat for lifting the package and facilitating the stripping of the wrapper from the pat.

2. An individual service butter package, consisting of a pat of butter of substantially rectangular form having an enfolding wrapper covering the two large opposite side faces and an edge of the pat, said wrapper having an integral flap covering the edge of the pat opposite the first-named edge, said wrapper adhering to the said faces and edges of the pat, and said flap having a free edge projecting laterally at the edge of the large side face of the pat for lifting the package, said wrapper having an integral flange projecting outwardly from the side of the pat under the said projecting flap cooperating with the said flap to operate as a handle to facilitate lifting the entire package intact, and stripping the wrapper from the pat thereafter.

3. An individual service butter package, consisting of a pat of butter of substantially rectangular form having an enfolding wrapper covering the two large opposite side faces and an edge of the pat, said wrapper having an integral flap of greater width than the edge of the pat opposite the first-named edge, said wrapper adhering to the remaining faces and edges of the pat, and said flap having a free edge capable of projecting laterally beyond the large side face of the pat, said wrapper having an integral laterally projecting flange under the said projecting flap so that the flap can be grasped to lift the pat, said flange cooperating with the said flap to facilitate stripping the wrapper from the pat, the said flap capable of projecting beyond said flange whereby the flap may be readily seized and separated from the flange.

4. An individual service butter package, consist ing of a pat of butter of substantially rectangular form Having an enfolding wrapper covering the two large opposite side faces and an edge of the pat, said wrapper having an integral flap covering the edge of the pat opposite the firstnamed edge, said wrapper adhering to the said faces and edges of the pat and said flap being in direct contact and adhering to, the secondnamed edge, said flap having a. free overhanging edge capable ,of projecting laterally outwardly beyond the side of the pat for lifting the package, said wrapper having integral flapscovering and adhering to the other two remaining edges of the pat, said first-named flap facilitating the lifting of the pat and the stripping of the wrap per from the pat.

5. An individual service butter package, consisting of a pat of butter of substantially rectangular form having an enfolding wrapper coverlng the two large opposite side faces and an edge of the pat, said wrapper having an integral flap covering the edge of the pat opposite the first-named edge, said wrapper adhering to the said faces and edges of the pat, and said flap having a free edge capable of projecting laterally beyond the side of the pat for lifting the package and facilitating the stripping of the wrapper from the pat, the portions of said wrap per covering the said side faces having perforations therein operating to prevent crinkling of the wrapper on the said side faces, and exposing portions of the said side faces to facilitate re frigeration of the wrapped pat.

6. A multiple service butter package consisting of an open tray with a plurality of individual service butter packages packed therein, each individual package consisting of a pat of butter of substantially rectangular form having an enfolding wrapper covering the two opposite side faces and an edge of the pat, each wrapper having anintegral flap in direct contact with, and adhering substantially throughout the area of the pat, to the edge of the pat, opposite the firstnamed edge, said wrapper adhering to other superficial areas of the pat, and said fiap having a free projecting -edge capable of extending laterally beyond the side of the pat for lifting the enfolded butter pat, the said flaps on said individual pack- I ages all projecting in the same direction, said tray being open so as to expose the individual packages and thereby facilitate refrigerating the multiple package.

7. A multiple service butter package consisting of a box open above, with a plurality of individual service butter packages packed therein, each package consisting of a pat of butter of substantially rectangular form having an enfolding wrapper covering two opposite side faces and an edge of the'pat, each wrapper having an integral flap covering the edge of the pat opposite the first-named edge, said wrapper adhering to the said faces and edges of the pat, and said flap extending from one side of the pat, in contact with, and adhering directly to, the adjacent edge of the pat,,and overhanging beyond the other side of the pat for lifting the enfolded butter pat, the said flaps on said individual packages lying adjacent to each other and all projecting in the same direction.

8. A multiple butter package consisting of a plurality of individual service butter packages packed together, each individual package consisting ofa pat of butter of substantially rectangular form having an enfolding wrapper covering the two large opposite side faces and the lower edge of the pat, said wrapper having an integral flap covering the upper edge of the pat, said wrapper adhering to the said faces and. edges of the pat, and said flap having a free overhanging edge projecting laterally beyond the large side face of the pat at its upper edge, and said wrapper having an integral laterally projecting flange under the said projecting flap, said laterally projecting flap and flange cooperating to form a lift: ing handle overhanging at the large side face of the pat so that the pat may be lifted thereby and removed without exposing the first-named edge of the pat, and so that any given pat may be lifted from the multiple package without exposing the first-named edge of other pats remaining in the multiple package.

9. An individual service butter package, consisting of a pat of butter of substantially rectangular form having an enfolding wrapper covering the two large opposite side faces and an edge of the pat, said'wrapper having an integral flap overlying, and wider than, the edge of the pat opposite the first-named edge, said wrapper adhering to other faces and the first-named edge of the pat, and said flap having a free edge capable of projecting laterally and outwardly so as to overhang beyond the side of the pat for lifting the package, said wrapper having a flange lying below the level of the projecting edge of the flap to facilitate the stripping of the wrapper from the pat, said wrapper removably adhering to said pat in such manner that when an adjacent free edge and flange of said wrapper are separately grasped in ones hands and drawn apart to the fullest extension of said wrapper the force of gravity will overcome adhesion and drop the pat from the wrapper.

10. A multiple package consisting of a plurality of articles of substantially rectangular form having relatively large flat side faces and relatively small edge faces between the fiat side faces, said articles disposed in a close pack with the relatively large side faces abutting each other, each of said articles having a wrapper covering the relatively large flat faces, extending under the bottom edges of the articles and having an integral flap extending laterally on the upper edge of the article enveloped thereby and projecting outwardly so. as to form a projecting flap to be seized to enable the article to be lifted out of the pack, said flaps all projecting in the same direction.

11. In a multiple package, the combination of a container, a plurality of articles of substantially rectangular form having relatively large fiat side faces and relatively small edge faces between the flat side faces, said articles disposed in a close pack within the tray with the relatively large side faces abutting against each other, each of said articles having a wrapper in the form of a sheet covering the relatively large flat faces, extending under the bottom edge of the article, and each wrapper having an integral flap at its upper edge extending across the upper edge of the article to which it is applied, each flap projecting laterally and overhanging one of the said relatively large fiat side faces of the article enveloped by the wrapper, each wrapper further having an integral flange projecting laterally under its corresponding flap, each flap with its adjacent flange forming a handle adapted to be seized to lift each article out of the tray, all of said flaps projecting in the same direction, so that there is always an individual package with a projecting flap at one end of the multiple package.

ARTHUR S. HEINEMAN. 

